.\" -*- nroff -*-
.TH START-TEST-VM 1 2007-09-12 "Nicira" "Nicira Developer's Manual"

.SH NAME

start-test-vm \- start collection of VMs
.br
stop-test-vm \- stop collection of VMs

.SH SYNOPSIS

.B start-test-vm
.RB [ -n
|
.BR --dry-run ]
.RB [ -f
.I vm
|
.B --foreground
.I vm
|
.B -o
.I vm
|
.BI --only= vm\fR]
.RB [ -v
.I vmm
|
.BI --vmm= vmm\fR]
.RI [ vmconf ]

.br

.B stop-test-vm

.SH DESCRIPTION

The
.B start-test-vm
program reads
.B vms.conf
in the current directory (or another file specified as
.I vmconf
on the command line) and, by default, starts all of the VMs and
virtual Ethernet switches specified by the configuration.

The
.B stop-test-vm
kills all of the programs started by
.BR start-test-vm .
In its current implementation it indiscriminately kills all processes
with appropriate names.

.SH OPTIONS

The
.B start-test-vm
program accepts the following options.

.IP -f\ \fIvm\fR
.PD 0
.IP --foreground=\fIvm\fR
.PD
Run the specified
.I vm
with its console in the foreground.  This overrides any setting of
.B FOREGROUND
in the VM configuration file.

.IP -o\ \fIvm\fR
.PD 0
.IP --only=\fIvm\fR
.PD
Run
.I only
the specified
.I vm
with its console in the foreground, connecting it to a single virtual
Ethernet that is in turn connected to the host network (and thus
likely to the Internet).  Any changes to the VM's disk will persist to
following sessions (unlike the default).  No other VMs or virtual
switches are started.

.IP -v\ \fIvmm\fR
.PD 0
.IP --vmm=\fIvmm\fR
.PD
Use the specified
.I vmm
(which should be
.B qemu
or
.BR kvm )
instead of the default.

.IP \fIvmconf\fR
.PD
Use
.I vmconf
in place of the default configuration file
.BR vms.conf .

.PP
The
.B stop-test-vm
program does not accept any options.

.SH FILES

.IP vms.conf
Virtual machine configuration file.  See
.BR vms.conf (5)
for format and examples.

.IP \fBvm\fR.log
Log file that receives all output from the given
.BR vm .

.IP \fBvm\fR.screenrc
Created for each VM to pass configuration commands to
.BR screen (1).

.IP \fBvm\fR.cd/
If this directory exists, then the files in it will be converted to
ISO-9660 CD-ROM format, with Rock Ridge extensions, using
.BR genisoimage (1)
and supplied to
.B vm
as a virtual CD-ROM on
.BR /dev/hdc .
Any symbolic links in the directory are dereferenced.  If no such
directory exists, no virtual CD-ROM will be supplied to
.BR vm .
See the
.B EXAMPLES
section below for sample uses.

.IP \fBvm\fR.iso
File created from \fBvm\fR.cd directory by
.BR genisoimage (1).
Not ordinarily of user interest.

.IP vde
Directory used by
.BR vde_switch ,
.BR vdeq ,
and
.B slirpvde
to communicate amongst themselves.  Not ordinarily of user interest.

.SH "SEE ALSO"

.BR vms.conf (5),
.BR screen (1),
.BR qemu (1),
.BR kvm (1),
.BR slirp (1),
.BR genisoimage (1),
.BR vde_switch (1),
.BR vdeq (1),
.BR slirpvde (1).
